Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2020 17139
The BJA FY 20 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions (ROL/WCR) Program is a discretionary federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, designed to strengthen the integrity of the criminal justice system by supporting due process and improving how jurisdictions detect, review, and prevent wrongful convictions. The core purpose is to fund work by wrongful conviction review entities (often conviction integrity units, innocence review panels, or similar case review bodies) that represent or assist individuals bringing post-conviction claims of innocence. The program emphasizes careful, case-based review of past convictions while also pushing agencies to turn what is learned from those reviews into better policies, training, and procedures that reduce the likelihood of future miscarriages of justice.
A key feature of the opportunity is its dual focus: correcting past errors and improving public safety going forward. The program is not framed only as a fairness initiative; it also treats wrongful convictions as a public safety problem because the real perpetrator may remain unidentified and free, sometimes continuing to offend. The solicitation highlights that exonerations tied to false testimony often involve serious violent offenses such as murder, which underscores the potential risk to communities when the wrong person is convicted and the true offender is not held accountable. For that reason, the grant encourages activities that, where possible, help identify actual perpetrators, support appropriate accountability, and provide a measure of justice to victims, all while strengthening confidence in the justice system.
Funded work can include reviewing individual post-conviction innocence claims, reinvestigating evidence, assessing the reliability of prior testimony, and reexamining forensic conclusions in light of updated science or improved laboratory methods. Beyond individual cases, the program also supports efforts to identify systemic issues that contribute to wrongful convictions, such as problematic interview and interrogation practices, eyewitness identification errors, unreliable informant testimony, disclosure failures, or outdated forensic techniques. The intent is for grantees to translate case-review findings into practical reforms, including new or revised office policies, standardized procedures, and training tools for prosecutors, law enforcement, defense counsel, and courts. In other words, the program aims to move jurisdictions from learning about wrongful convictions after they occur to building repeatable safeguards that prevent them.
The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BJA 2020 17139; CFDA 16.746) offered awards up to $300,000, with an estimated 12 awards anticipated under this solicitation cycle. Eligible applicants were broad and included state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (with additional eligibility details referenced in the full solicitation). The application window for this FY 2020 opportunity opened with a creation date of February 11, 2020, and had an original closing date of April 13, 2020. Overall, the grant opportunity is structured to help jurisdictions improve the accuracy of convictions, strengthen accountability mechanisms, and reduce the community harms that arise when wrongful convictions delay the identification and apprehension of the true offender.Apply for BJA 2020 17139
- The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 20 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.746.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 11, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 13, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is the BJA FY 20 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions (ROL/WCR) Program?
It is a discretionary federal grant program from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The program is designed to strengthen the integrity of the criminal justice system by supporting due process and improving how jurisdictions detect, review, and prevent wrongful convictions.
2. What is the main purpose of this grant opportunity?
The core purpose is to fund work by wrongful conviction review entities (such as conviction integrity units, innocence review panels, or similar case review bodies) that represent or assist individuals bringing post-conviction claims of innocence. The program supports careful, case-based review of past convictions and encourages jurisdictions to turn lessons learned into improved policies, training, and procedures that reduce future wrongful convictions.
3. Why does the program treat wrongful convictions as a public safety issue?
The solicitation frames wrongful convictions as both a fairness and a public safety problem. When the wrong person is convicted, the real perpetrator may remain unidentified and free and may continue to offend. The solicitation notes that exonerations tied to false testimony often involve serious violent offenses (including murder), highlighting potential community risk when the true offender is not held accountable.
4. What types of organizations are intended to carry out the funded work?
The program is intended to support wrongful conviction review entities, which may include conviction integrity units, innocence review panels, or other case review bodies focused on post-conviction innocence claims.
5. What kinds of case-related activities can be supported with grant funding?
Supported work can include reviewing individual post-conviction innocence claims, reinvestigating evidence, assessing the reliability of prior testimony, and reexamining forensic conclusions using updated science or improved laboratory methods.
6. Does the program support work beyond reviewing individual cases?
Yes. In addition to individual case review, the program supports efforts to identify systemic issues that contribute to wrongful convictions and to translate case-review findings into practical reforms such as new or revised policies, standardized procedures, and training tools.
7. What systemic issues does the solicitation highlight as contributors to wrongful convictions?
The solicitation highlights several potential contributors, including problematic interview and interrogation practices, eyewitness identification errors, unreliable informant testimony, disclosure failures, and outdated forensic techniques.
8. What kinds of reforms or improvements are encouraged as outcomes of the funded work?
The program encourages jurisdictions to develop repeatable safeguards that prevent wrongful convictions. This can include implementing new or revised office policies, establishing standardized procedures, and developing training tools that help prevent future miscarriages of justice.
9. Which criminal justice stakeholders can benefit from the policies and training supported by this grant?
The solicitation notes that reforms and training tools may be developed for prosecutors, law enforcement, defense counsel, and courts.
10. Does the program encourage identifying the actual perpetrator in wrongful conviction cases?
Yes. Where possible, the grant encourages activities that help identify actual perpetrators, support appropriate accountability, and provide a measure of justice to victims, while also strengthening confidence in the justice system.
11. What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA number for this solicitation?
The Funding Opportunity Number is BJA 2020 17139, and the CFDA number is 16.746.
12. What was the maximum award amount available under this FY 2020 solicitation?
Under this solicitation cycle, awards were offered up to $300,000.
13. How many awards were anticipated under this solicitation cycle?
The solicitation estimated that approximately 12 awards were anticipated.
14. Who was eligible to apply for the ROL/WCR Program according to the provided summary?
Eligible applicants were broad and included state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status. Additional eligibility details were referenced in the full solicitation.
15. What were the key dates for the FY 2020 application window?
The opportunity had a creation date of February 11, 2020, and an original closing date of April 13, 2020.
16. What overall outcomes is this grant structured to support?
The grant is structured to help jurisdictions improve the accuracy of convictions, strengthen accountability mechanisms, and reduce community harms that occur when wrongful convictions delay the identification and apprehension of the true offender.
17. How does the program connect case review work to long-term prevention?
The program emphasizes turning what is learned from reviewing past convictions into improvements in policies, procedures, and training so jurisdictions can move from learning about wrongful convictions after they occur to building safeguards that help prevent them.
18. What kinds of forensic-related work are mentioned as relevant to this grant?
The solicitation mentions reexamining forensic conclusions in light of updated science or improved laboratory methods as an example of work that may be supported.
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